I will usually make a slipstreamed windows disk that has most of the latest updates and drivers etc for deploying multiple Windows Desktops.

However, it's a hassle to make those slipstream CD's and only worth doing if I'm deploying multiple desktops.

Sometimes you need to install the OS on an oddball system, that might have an oddball OS you don't use frequently. (Like someones Windows Vista Home Edition laptop) Or the occassional new server deployment. Or sometimes somebody gets a new laptop, has all their personal data on it and applications installed so you can't do a wipe and reload.

Sometimes you install all the available updates, reboot, then find 26 additional updates after reboot. You install those, reboot again, and find 14 updates.

Besides making a slipstreamed CD, does anyone have any recommendations on automatically applying ALL available (including optional) updates and rebooting when required without having to babysit the update process which can take hours?

I'm installing an application on Win2008R2 that needs the latest everything and the number of reboots required and random dialogs I have to click through, it's driving me insane.

So, suggestions on automating the process of making a new system fully patched?

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I'm talking about fully patching a single system. For example, someones personal system like when someone buys a new computer from a bigbox store and already installed all their crap on it, asks you to "fix" something and you discover that there are like 150 uninstalled updates on the system. Reinstalling the OS is out of the question, you want to install all the updates, but you don't want to sit there all day babysitting it.

I'm talking about fully patching a single system. For example, someones personal system like when someone buys a new computer from a bigbox store and already installed all their crap on it, asks you to "fix" something and you discover that there are like 150 uninstalled updates on the system. Reinstalling the OS is out of the question, you want to install all the updates, but you don't want to sit there all day babysitting it.

Unless you make them managed assets after you give them back to the owner, you will find they are missing updates again. The owner (end user) must be responsible to update them.

The best you can do is turn on automatic updates for them and hope they reboot from time to time to complete the updates.

Unfortunately some updates require other updates to be installed first. That's why you get 28, then another 14 and so on. And to make things worse each deployment isn't always the same. Where I work I've only had to buy one new system at a time, never multiples.

I used to use an update service (can't remember what it was called) but managing that for multiple OS's was a full time job. Now i just connect online and let it do it's thing. I know it is a pain, but with a reasonably fast connection I can get a new Win7 system up to date and deployed within a day. Your needs might be different to mine, but when quoting a job, I take this time into account.

You should look into something called WSUS Offline Update - link. You can set it to automatic reboot and recall the program to continue updating the computer. It won't have all of the latest updates, but it gets the majority of them installed. I usually keep it on an extra external hard drive.

I'm talking about fully patching a single system. For example, someones personal system like when someone buys a new computer from a bigbox store and already installed all their crap on it, asks you to "fix" something and you discover that there are like 150 uninstalled updates on the system. Reinstalling the OS is out of the question, you want to install all the updates, but you don't want to sit there all day babysitting it.

If this is a users system and is unmanaged by you....then you are probably just going to get stuck with doing all of them yourself, turning on Windows Update to run automatically, or training the user to do them manually. If you do them yourself, then just start them and move a long with your day and periodically check on them. No reason to sit there and watch the blue bar move across the screen.

Take a look at WSUS Offline Update. It can compile ISOs for the major Windows operating systems Exchange, and Office. Update them once a quarter and you're good for builds and mostly patching systems without the need for an internet connection.

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